Lillee offers to rescue Harmison from slump in form
Dennis Lillee has offered to give the struggling Steve Harmison some help in time for the second Test in Adelaide this week.
Lillee, who took 167 Ashes wickets between 1970 and 1983, said: "I don't want to make a big issue of this - but if Steve needs technical advice on how to recover the form that made him one of the world's most potent strike bowlers in the last Ashes series, then he only has to pick up the telephone.
"The last thing I want to promise is that I can fix Harmison," he added. "But I've seen some technical glitches which can be fixed easily if that person is willing to listen, learn and work hard to correct them."
Paul Collingwood believes England's fourth-day fightback has given them the confidence to believe they can be competitive.
"I'm obviously a little disappointed not to get a hundred, but I think if you look from the team's point of view it was an important day for us," said Collingwood, who hit 96. "It was important for our confidence.
"Today was about fighting and showing a bit of pride and passion and showing it, not just talking about it. We didn't just want to stonewall but took the game to the Australians and that's the way we need to play."
Collingwood also dismissed the confrontations between Shane Warne and his Hampshire team-mate Kevin Pietersen, who were involved in several verbal jousts. "It was Test cricket, it's as simple as that," he said. "You know when you come to Australia you're going to be up against it.
For the Australians, Justin Langer said he was not surprised by England's fightback, adding: "We were expecting England to put up a fight and that's what they did today."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments